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It is a mystery. City fans, especially the football purists, tend to like Gundogan, as he has that silky feel for the game and a fierce intelligence which, when it is fully functioning, can lay teams to waste.

He showed it in the 9-0 win over Burton, when his accurate, lofted passes repeatedly tore open the opposition, even though he was asked to play in his least favourite number six position, filling in for Fernandinho.

Ilkay Gundogan collides with Elias Kachunga (Image: PA)

But we do not see that game control often enough, and it must be a concern for Guardiola.

Maybe the horrible abuse he took for being pictured with the Turkish president in the summer has affected him.

Or maybe the fact that, unlike at Dortmund, he is no longer the main man in midfield, makes it harder for him to take a grip on proceedings.

It seemed last season that he had found his niche – he was happy to let De Bruyne be the dynamic, manic, ubiquitous star, and for David Silva to buzz and create, while he simply kept the wheels oiled in the way Yaya Toure used to do.

But, against Huddersfield, his passing was awry, and the harder he tried, the worse it seemed to get.

He was not alone. Fernandinho had a stinker, although his early hook when the game was won feeds the idea that he is still short of fitness after suffering that mystery injury over the Christmas period.

But it seems apparent that De Bruyne, David Silva and Fernandinho will return to the world-class levels we have come to expect, while Bernardo’s talent and work-rate have transformed the midfield three into an easily-rotated four.

Gundogan is likely to get a couple more chances in the coming week, with cup games against Burton and Burnley – he needs to use them to regain the level of which he is clearly capable.